BA (Hons) Moving Image

Study a Moving Image degree with OCA

Our BA (Hons) Moving Image degree is a broad art-focused programme of study, for those wanting to work with film and video. Spanning digital formats, video, and traditional film, this course offers opportunities for exploration and risk-taking whilst helping you define strong critical contexts for your working processes.

You will learn by doing – making films from the beginning of your studies. Throughout your learning journey you will gain an awareness of historic and contemporary moving image practice, as well as visual culture more broadly, and its related social, ethical and philosophical discourses. We encourage a diversity of practices – artists using film, video installation, animation, documentary, abstract film, and script driven narrative cinema – we want you to draw upon, challenge and remap established approaches. Importantly, we encourage ambition and criticality.

You will be supported by staff who possess extensive skills and knowledge and practice as artists, filmmakers and photographers.

Course Structure

The degree is split into eight units: three at Level 1 (HE4), two at Level 2 (HE5), and three at Level 3 (HE6). There are some core units that all students take, many more optional units, and some prerequisites for units at higher levels.

As a flexible degree, you can complete the programme in 3–9 years, with a maximum of three years to complete each level of the course.

Core Units

Level 1 begins with two core units, Moving Image 1: Setting the Scene, and Moving Image 1: Fact and Fiction. These core units introduce key concepts and skills for the study of moving image, and encourage you to experiment, explore and take risks. They also introduce different ways of exploring your own ideas through moving image, from traditional narrative filmmaking to art house cinema.

Moving into Level 2, there are two core units on offer, Moving Image 2: Moving Image Methodologies, and Moving Image 2: Independent Filmmaking. You can either study both of these core units, or you can select one of the core units and then choose an elective unit to complement your developing interests in moving image practice (see below).

At Level 3, you will study a flexible negotiated programme which consists of three core units. You will develop a major body of practical work in the Moving Image 3: Body of Work unit, alongside which you’ll develop written work that critically contextualises your practice in the Moving Image 3: Contextual Studies unit. In the final unit, Moving Image 3: Sustaining your Practice, you’ll resolve your major body of work, with an emphasis on the professionalism of its presentation, and be tasked with exposing your work to a public audience.

Optional Units

At Level 1, following completion of the core units, you can choose an elective unit within the areas of Moving Image, or from Photography, Visual Culture or Creative Writing:

Moving Image 1: Animation

Moving Image 1: An Introduction to Film Culture

Photography 1: Expressing Your Vision

Visual Studies 1: Understanding Visual Culture

Writing 1: Scriptwriting

If you have only chosen one of the core units for study at Level 2, you can choose one elective unit to complete your study at this level, choosing from within the areas of Photography or Creative Writing:

Foundations

£900

Level 1 (HE4)

£4,050

Level 2 (HE5)

£3,340

Level 3 (HE6)

£3,340

Breakdown of costs...

Level 1 (HE4)

All of the OCA’s Level 1 (HE4) course units are worth 40 credits each. If you’re studying towards an Open degree, you’ll need three Level 1 (HE4) course units to gain the necessarry 120 credits to move on to Level 2 (HE5).

Level 2 (HE5)

£1,670

Per course unit (6o credits)

All of the OCA’s Level 2 (HE5) course units are worth 60 credits each. If you’re studying towards an Open degree, you’ll need two Level 2 (HE5) course units to gain the necessarry 120 credits to move on to Level 3 (HE6).

Level 3 (HE6)

£3,340

For the level

OCA’s Level 3 (HE6) course units hold differing amounts of credits depending upon the given Open degree pathway, and therefore are varied in cost. For individual pricing, please see the individual course unit pages on this website.

Level 3 (HE6)

£3,690

For the level

OCA’s Level 3 (HE6) course units hold differing amounts of credits depending upon the given degree pathway, and therefore are varied in cost. For individual pricing, please see the individual course unit pages on this website.

More Information

OCA degrees are paid for on a unit-by-unit basis and are around a third of the cost of a degree at a campus university. Unit costs depend on the level of the unit, and also whether you live in the UK or rest of the world.

If you started studying with OCA before 01 August 2017, please contact accounts@oca.ac.uk as different fees may apply.

If you are funding your course yourself, you can either pay for units in full or you can spread the cost by taking advantage of our deposit and instalment facility for which a £50 fee is included in the deposit you pay.

All OCA courses are listed with Student Finance England, Wales, and Northern Ireland allowing eligible students to apply for a Student Loan to cover the cost of fees. You may also be able to apply for a maintenance loan and/or Disabled Students Allowance to assist you with the cost of study.

We’ve made this helpful guide to take you through the application process, making applying for Student Finance simple and straightforward.

The OCA Learner Support Scheme can provide partial bursaries towards course fees for students who are not eligible for funding via Student Finance, based on financial hardship.

Other sources of funding may include employer contributions, Enhanced Learning Credits (for Armed Forces Serving Personnel and Service Leavers) and Prisoner Education Trust.

As a student with OCA, most reading materials can be accessed through the digital library services and eBooks, or sent to you in the post.

Other costs you may find on your degree include purchasing software/materials/books/texts to assist in your practice and research. Work is largely submitted to tutors and for assessment via email, however postal costs are expected to be around £40 per assessment for sending materials depending on quantity and weight of materials. Rates for overseas students will be higher.

Moving Image is an open access degree; this means that there are no formal qualifications or experience required to join the course. All you need is a passion for the arts, and willingness to learn.

All OCA courses require students to be IT literate, have a good internet connection, and have a good standard of English equivalent to CEFR B2. Further details on the entry requirements can be found in the Student Regulations.

Upon completing the BA (Hons) Moving Image degree, you’ll be set with skills to help you navigate the workplace. You could use your practice as a videographer, 3D Designer, animator or photographer, the possibilities are endless. Prospects can help you with a variety of options of where your degree could take you.

In 2017 the Department for Culture, Media, & Sport estimated there were some 3.12 million jobs in the UK creative economy, and 80,000 new jobs were created in 2017 alone. The creative industries are growing faster than any other sector in the UK.

To Join

Achieve your creative potential with OCA here!

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First, please choose one of the following options:*

I am a new student, enrolling for the first time.

I am a returning student.

I'm a new student with an accreditation of prior learning.

If you have enrolled onto a course with OCA since the launch of our new enrolment system on July 4th 2019, please remember to log in to your account before continuing. If your last enrolment onto a course unit with OCA was before July 4th 2019, an account will be registered for you as part of this application process.

Are you currently living in the UK?*

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Please select the level of study you will be enrolling onto:*

Level One

Level Two

Level Three

Please identify which units you are interested in. Some are core units, which are selected by default, while others are elective units that give you a choice in your direction of study. When you come to the payment, you will have a choice of how you pay for your studies. However, all of your unit choices can be changed at a later date.

Level One

Core Units*

Both of the following units are required.

Moving Image 1: Setting the Scene

Moving Image 1: Setting the Scene In Setting the Scene you’ll learn skills in the conceptualisation, production and editing of narrative digital video sequences. You’ll use ideas of ‘identity’ and ‘place’ to develop an awareness of different forms of storytelling. You’ll be introduced to visual and narrative techniques and use them to convey messages and stories.

Moving Image 1: Fact and Fiction

Moving Image 1: Fact and FictionThis unit will investigate the blurred lines that exist between fact and fiction as presented through the moving image. From cinematic fictional drama to documentary film to artist’s film and video, it will help you to develop visual and conceptual research strategies and investigate diverse ways to gather and manipulate audio/visual material in order to create meaning.

Elective Units*

Please select one of the following elective units for your first level of study.

Moving Image 1: Animation This unit examines the creative potential of animation and the ability to communicate ideas or narratives across a sequence of animated images. You’ll explore animation principles in order to create and complete several short animations giving you a practical knowledge of the techniques used in animation that can be assimilated into your own work.

Creative Writing 1: Scriptwriting Scriptwriting will equip you with a writer’s toolbox filled with the basics: how to lay out a script professionally; how to structure your screenplay; the do’s and don’ts of writing compelling dialogue; and breathing life into your characters. Through the unit you’ll not only have the nuts and bolts of screenwriting, but you’ll also have penned your own 15-minute screenplay.

Moving Image 1: Introduction to Film Culture This unit will provide a foundation for interpretation and critical analysis and a route map to explore range and influences that film has. You’ll have a way into understanding the subject through the culture of film looking at role and influence on populations, reflecting on story-telling, and social observation.

Visual Studies 1: Understanding Visual Culture This unit takes you through the core theories that underpin a contemporary understanding of visual culture, exploring how we look at the world and understand the visual vocabulary that describes it. Looking at the ideas in Structuralism, Post-Structuralism and Post Modernism you will focus on their practical application.

Photography 1: Expressing Your Vision Expressing your Vision assumes you already know how to take photographs of things, and the unit is the starting point in your journey to taking photographs about things. You’ll look at how other photographers have used photography to express their opinions and views and developing your skills to do the same.

Level Two

Core and Elective Units*

Please choose two of the following units. You must choose at least one of the core units - the other unit can be either a core or elective unit.

Core Unit - Moving Image 2: Moving Image Methodologies In this unit you will explore historical and contemporary strategies in this expanding field of photography. You will explore and exploit the temporal specificity of the moving image as well as consider the moral and ethical concerns of its dissemination. Increase your awareness of contexts and frameworks, you’ll develop personal practice and photographic vision in an expanded debate on the photographic image.

Core Unit - Moving Image 2: Independent FilmmakingWith particular attention paid to the increasing presence of the moving image across a variety of alternative, temporary and virtual sites of exhibition, from museums and art galleries to community centres, film societies and digital media platforms, this unit considers the importance of the ‘independent’ film sector to new understandings of the audience, film distribution networks and cross-arts practice within the contemporary art film scene.

Elective Unit - Creative Writing 2: Moving on with Scriptwriting In this unit you’ll look at scriptwriting for different media, including drama, radio, and stage, understanding the nuances between them, and how to create specific effects. You’ll also explore narration, soliloquies, and monologues, learning how these can be powerful tools in dramatic exercises.

Elective Unit - Photography 2: Digital Image & Culture In this course, you will explore the work of practitioners who exploit digital photography and imaging technologies, and you will explore the diverse and complex themes that their work addresses. Alongside tracing the genesis and trajectory of digital photographic art, you will examine the ways that digital imagery is consumed, and consider the social, ethical and philosophical implications of these evolving platforms and processes.

Level Three

Core Units*

All three of the following units are required.

Moving Image 3: Body of Work

Moving Image 3: Body of Work

Moving Image 3: Contextual Studies

Moving Image 3: Contextual Studies

Moving Image 3: Sustaining Your Practice

Moving Image 3: Sustaining Your Practice

Please identify which units you are interested in. When you come to the payment, you will have a choice of how you pay for your studies. However, all of your unit choices can be changed at a later date.

Please identify the level you will be enrolling onto:*

Level One

Level Two

Level Three

Level One

Core Units

Both of the following units are usually required for all students but, depending on your accreditation, you may not need to take them.

Moving Image 1: Setting the Scene

Moving Image 1: Setting the Scene In Setting the Scene you’ll learn skills in the conceptualisation, production and editing of narrative digital video sequences. You’ll use ideas of ‘identity’ and ‘place’ to develop an awareness of different forms of storytelling. You’ll be introduced to visual and narrative techniques and use them to convey messages and stories.

Moving Image 1: Fact and Fiction

Moving Image 1: Fact and FictionThis unit will investigate the blurred lines that exist between fact and fiction as presented through the moving image. From cinematic fictional drama to documentary film to artist’s film and video, it will help you to develop visual and conceptual research strategies and investigate diverse ways to gather and manipulate audio/visual material in order to create meaning.

Elective Units

Please select one of the following elective units for your first level of study, if required.

Moving Image 1: Animation This unit examines the creative potential of animation and the ability to communicate ideas or narratives across a sequence of animated images. You’ll explore animation principles in order to create and complete several short animations giving you a practical knowledge of the techniques used in animation that can be assimilated into your own work.

Creative Writing 1: Scriptwriting Scriptwriting will equip you with a writer’s toolbox filled with the basics: how to lay out a script professionally; how to structure your screenplay; the do’s and don’ts of writing compelling dialogue; and breathing life into your characters. Through the unit you’ll not only have the nuts and bolts of screenwriting, but you’ll also have penned your own 15-minute screenplay.

Moving Image 1: Introduction to Film Culture This unit will provide a foundation for interpretation and critical analysis and a route map to explore range and influences that film has. You’ll have a way into understanding the subject through the culture of film looking at role and influence on populations, reflecting on story-telling, and social observation.

Visual Studies 1: Understanding Visual Culture This unit takes you through the core theories that underpin a contemporary understanding of visual culture, exploring how we look at the world and understand the visual vocabulary that describes it. Looking at the ideas in Structuralism, Post-Structuralism and Post Modernism you will focus on their practical application.

Photography 1: Expressing Your Vision Expressing your Vision assumes you already know how to take photographs of things, and the unit is the starting point in your journey to taking photographs about things. You’ll look at how other photographers have used photography to express their opinions and views and developing your skills to do the same.

Level Two

Core and Elective Units

Please choose two of the following units, if required:

Core Unit - Moving Image 2: Moving Image Methodologies In this unit you will explore historical and contemporary strategies in this expanding field of photography. You will explore and exploit the temporal specificity of the moving image as well as consider the moral and ethical concerns of its dissemination. Increase your awareness of contexts and frameworks, you’ll develop personal practice and photographic vision in an expanded debate on the photographic image.

Core Unit - Moving Image 2: Independent FilmmakingWith particular attention paid to the increasing presence of the moving image across a variety of alternative, temporary and virtual sites of exhibition, from museums and art galleries to community centres, film societies and digital media platforms, this unit considers the importance of the ‘independent’ film sector to new understandings of the audience, film distribution networks and cross-arts practice within the contemporary art film scene.

Elective Unit - Creative Writing 2: Moving on with Scriptwriting In this unit you’ll look at scriptwriting for different media, including drama, radio, and stage, understanding the nuances between them, and how to create specific effects. You’ll also explore narration, soliloquies, and monologues, learning how these can be powerful tools in dramatic exercises.

Elective Unit - Photography 2: Digital Image & Culture In this course, you will explore the work of practitioners who exploit digital photography and imaging technologies, and you will explore the diverse and complex themes that their work addresses. Alongside tracing the genesis and trajectory of digital photographic art, you will examine the ways that digital imagery is consumed, and consider the social, ethical and philosophical implications of these evolving platforms and processes.

Level Three

Core Units

All three of the following units are usually required. Depending on your accreditation, you may not be required to take them all.

Moving Image 3: Body of Work

Moving Image 3: Body of Work

Moving Image 3: Contextual Studies

Moving Image 3: Contextual Studies

Moving Image 3: Sustaining Your Practice

Moving Image 3: Sustaining Your Practice

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